Ancient Advanced Technology in South America

By NORAH ROMNEY

There are a host of ancient ruins in South America, claimed by the Inca, inherited by the Inca, conquered by the Inca and built by the Inca. Although one label has stuck on each monument or ancient site, it is clear there are many layers of construction, physically and conceptually. Academics and Scholars still debate who built these, monuments, did they inherit them? Was there a Pre-Inca culture, but everyone can appreciate how advanced the 'Inca Ancient Ruins' found in the highlands of South America. The Inca were largest empire ever seen in the Americas and the largest in the world at that time, yet doubt is cast on their monuments and origins. Tiahuanaco, a region of Bolivia that holds many remnants of ancient civilizations, demonstrates some of the most unique and amazingly precise examples of stonework in the world. The ancient people who created these walls and buildings used such a high degree of mathematical expertise that the workmanship is astounding even to modern day people. They marvel at how the stone-cutters from long ago created all of it with simple hand tools.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NORAH ROMNEY
• Release date: Mar 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201435264

NORAH ROMNEY

Norah Romney is a Maori- Inuit ambassador with lineage to both cultures, she was orphaned early in her life losing both parents in a plane crash in the Pacific, she was adopted in the UK to  a family of archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and folklorists. She is the first woman to be appointed as a lecturer in ethno-archaeology, and cultural folklorist as ambassador to to the Inuit's, she has spoken vastly on Maori traditions in 74 nations. Adopted into a wealthy middle-class English family in the United Kingdom, she sees herself as a global citizen with diverse roots, Having achieved Egyptology and Mesoamerican Qualifications her focus is now on Global Mythologies and their insight into ancient civilizations.

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The Empire of the Inca

THE INCA CIVILIZATION arose from the highlands of Peru in the early 13th century. The Inca civilization certainly flourished in Peru in the 14th and 15th centuries AD, so much so, their entire empire eventually reached western South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south. Starting from 1438, they initially conquered lands surrounding Cuzco, and spreading out from this epicentre. They became the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The notoriously documented arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in 1532 abruptly ended the short-lived Inca Empire. The conquistadors plundered what they could, and little remains of these enigmatic empire builders. Everything suggests, even direct accounts from the Incas that a Pre-Inca civilization existed. There are a host of ancient ruins, claimed by the Inca, inherited by the Inca, conquered by the Inca and built by the Inca. Although one label has stuck on each monument or ancient site, it is clear there are many layers of construction, physically and conceptually. Academics and Scholars still debate who built these, monuments, did they inherit? Was there a Pre-Inca culture, but everyone can appreciate how advanced the ‘Inca Ancient Ruins’ found in the highlands of South America. The Inca were largest empire ever seen in the Americas and the largest in the world at that time, yet doubt is cast on their monuments and origins. Here, we shall regard the monuments and ancient ruins as ‘Inca’ setting debate aside, in order to concentrate on the construction, engineering and advancements of their technical prowess. The terminology ‘Pre-Inca’ is used to point out a supposedly vastly ancient styles and method of advanced stonework for the purpose of discussion and is by no means a definitely accepted academic model, with respect to the aforementioned debate.

PART ONE

VITRIFIED STONES

Ancient Ruins in South America

The Uniquely Vitrified Megalithic Architecture

TIAHUANACO, A REGION of Bolivia that holds many remnants of ancient civilizations, demonstrates some of the most unique and amazingly precise examples of stonework in the world. The ancient people who created these walls and buildings used such a high degree of mathematical expertise that the workmanship is astounding even to modern day people. They marvel at how the stonecutters from long ago created all of it with simple hand tools.

The high plains of Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains holds a wealth of historical sites, each one more amazing than the next. Scholars and archaeologists had only seen the same type of masonry in ancient Egypt before this. Although some historians call this Inca architecture, this later time period civilization had little to do with creating these fantastic structures. The Incas dominated this area from approximately the 13th to 14th centuries AD up until the time of the Spanish explorers' conquest of the region. Indeed, they built some magnificent structures, but the ones most interesting for their precision and longevity came from even older groups. Some of these empires were called the Wari and the Tiwanaku. They existed hundreds or even thousands of years before the Inca came to power.

MULTIPLE HISTORIANS who specialize in architectural studies have dedicated a lot of their time and knowledge to figuring out how ancient groups of people who did not use advanced tools or even the wheel could create such structures. The most advanced chisels and hammers of the time would have been created from copper, stone, and wood. With these simple hand tools, people dug granite, andesite, and porphyry out of quarries. After transporting them to the final locations, they then carved them with smooth precision so they would fit together almost seamlessly.

What techniques could these ancient experts use to make such flat and smooth surfaces, exact angles, and joints that would not allow a single blade of grass to squeeze between? Historians can only guess about some of the methods that allowed for such unique stone cutting and building styles.

Besides the building details that still give modern people pause, another incredibly distinctive trait of megalithic structures found in the Andean plateaus is the vitrification of some of the stones. Although vitrified means to essentially transform something into glass, the stones themselves are not chemically altered. Instead, they are somehow changed to have an exceptionally smooth, shiny, and reflective surface. It allows for a high degree of light reflection that is not usual in granite or andesite.

Now, it is possible to use modern tools and polish the stone so that it reflects light and even figures most successfully. Ancient people use abrasive sand and powdered rock from courts and other materials to polish decorative stones as well. However, none of these methods would be able to vitrify the rock as successfully as these ancient people did. Not only was the surface highly reflective, it was altered in an outer layer that could not be explained by any conventional means.

The other evidence for the vitrification of Andean stonework in some architectural sites included textural changes and even colour changes from the original rock type seen in other parts of the construction project. Also, people who studied these vitrified stones more closely discovered evidence of softening or melting in order to facilitate the transformation to a reflected surface. They have even found odd changes in magnetic properties identified with compasses and other tools. There is no true explanation why this would occur or what it would do for the vitrification process.

If the particular large stone with a vitrified surface was attached to others with metal clamps for joining purposes, these sockets also showed signs that they were vitrified in some way. The completeness of the process has surely led to unique speculation and the need for more investigation to figure out how it occurred in those relatively primitive days.

Archaeologists have discovered multiple instances of the vitrification differences throughout various ancient megalithic sites in Peru. The following examples are just some that are more intriguing and raise considerable questions for those who study these types of stonework anomalies.

Within Cusco, the Incan capital, a certain temple called the Enclosure of Gold or Qorikancha was constructed out of large, neat blocks of hard stone used most frequently in the area. These Imperial style structures demonstrate the fine stonework abilities of the ancient architects and builders. Today, Santo Domingo church and convent lies on top of the ruins, which makes studying them a bit more difficult. What historians have gleaned from their studies shows some evidence that the Incan temple actually predates their empire by quite a bit. Tiahuanaco architecture, for example, frequently used T-grooves with metal clamps to attach one stone to another. The Inca did not use this method in their later buildings. Other details point to the Wari as being responsible for some or all of the construction. For example, scholars notice astronomical alignments more often used by those earlier groups.

The Enclosure of Gold temple contains the central courtyard, surrounding walls, multiple terraces, and many interior rooms used for a variety of reasons. It would have originally sat on the banks of the Huatanay River, which has changed over the years to a much smaller stream. The temple is edged by a curving wall that seems to have been used for astronomy and the study of the stars. It may also have had significant use during sun worship or ceremonies. This wall shows an excellent example of vitrification of the granite and other stones used here. Some of the evidence of heating or compositional changes are not present, but the stones do reflect light almost as effectively as a mirror. Besides its reflective nature, the Qorikancha outer wall clearly demonstrates the precision of stone joinery practiced by these ancient civilizations. Nearly no space or indentation exists between the stones. Even the joints themselves that run parallel to the ground show signs of vitrification. They are also amazingly straight, level, and evenly spaced. The vertical joints do not follow the same precise paths or rules as the horizontal ones. Still, the pink and gray granite stone is obviously fitted together with a high degree of skill and care.

Upon closer inspection, the straight horizontal joints running throughout the entire wall has an even more exact and purposeful shape to them. Every stone base is not straight. Instead, the bottom of one is curved out slightly to fit exactly into the inward curve of the block below it. While these shapes are relatively minute, they are obviously not a mistake, due to their precise nature. The intention of the stonemasons seems to focus on making a very strong wall where the stones would lock in place rather than simply rest the top of each other. Still, despite the regular curves, each juncture has no gaps or errors.

No doubt exists in any architectural historian's mind that the stones that make up this temple wall were not fitted haphazardly or without exceptional degrees of skill and care. The stonecutters or builders who constructed the temple must have spent a lot of time achieving these perfect locking fits. The understanding of construction strength that let these ancient people to create the curved edges that locked together is considerable. There wall was able to withstand earthquakes, for example, much more effectively than a wall with perfectly straight stone edges would.

Add to the considerable skill the fact that the joints shows signs of vitrification, and even more questions arise about how the people before the Inca could have such a high degree of knowledge and skill when it came to building with stones. Any archaeologists studying the site only has to play a flashlight across the seams in the evenings or night to see the reflective surfaces and joints. Whatever process they used; the end result was a much stronger bond at the joints than if the vitrification did not occur.

THE VITRIFIED SURFACES do not only show up in the joints, however. People who have studied the ruins of the Temple also found interior stones with an outside layer of reflective material. In some instances, the vitrified surfaces had been removed in a rather crude way with a chisel and hammer. Historians who studied the entire time span of the building and walls surmise this may have happened in order to paint or stucco them once the Spanish colonized the area.

Other interior surfaces made of stone were carved with precise niches, grooves, and holes that extended straight into the granite blocks. While these do not have obvious purposes at this late date, it is quite common to assume that they were used to hang decorative items such as plaques, banners, or even figurines or statues. The holes range in depth from just four centimeters to 50 centimeters deep.

THE ENCLOSURE OF GOLD in Cusco was not the only building that showed signs of vitrification and incredibly accurate stonework. Up on the hill above the city rests Sachsaywaman, a massive fortress built from excessively large stone blocks. Some of the granite and anthracite weighed upward of 300 tons. Despite how difficult it must have been to move them into position, they to show evidence of extremely exact join work. The vitrification that occurs here seems to indicate that high heat was used to shape or connect the megaliths with very narrow seams between them. Some of the large stones have apparently molten scars from whatever process vitrified their surfaces long ago.

Near this hillside fort lies a unique round amphitheater called Rodadero. One particular construction feature called the Throne of the Inca shows heavy signs of vitrification on many surfaces. These vitrified stones form some of the broad steps that lead up to the top platform, altars, and niches undoubtedly used for ceremonies many centuries ago. An added unique feature is the discovery that these stone steps that show evidence of vitrification are also quite magnetized.

Of course, over the millennia since these areas were constructed, the weather has eroded much of the stone surfaces. This partially destroyed some of the vitrification that may have been evident on most platforms and steps. Some of the larger stones with weights over 100 tons have been altered significantly by what appears to be the application of high heat. Some of the megaliths are split, have changed texture, or their colour has been altered from the original natural state. Vitrification is visible on stones in a more protected spot. It is possible that some of the damaged stone work occurred when the parts of the building fell down due to earthquakes, time, and the effects of extreme weather events. However, the evidence that extremely high degrees of heat contributed to the problem leave some historians mystified. Also, on the Rodadero hill, archaeologists discovered a tunnel with the vitrified stone ceiling and walls. Additional tunnels and natural cave parts show mirrored surfaces that reflect light easily. Erosion has opened some of these tunnels to the weather since they were built in ancient times. This helped researchers discover more about the extensive network and experience the vitrification in more obvious ways. However interesting the tunnels are, there is no real evidence that clearly shows what they were used for.

ALSO, NEAR SACHSAYWAMAN, another ancient architecture site called Q'Enko shows off the ancient civilizations interest in massive tone blocks, careful carving and sitting, and vitrified surfaces. Again, the years have not been kind to the underground areas or interiors of the buildings. Erosion and collapse have opened up chambers and tunnels to the air and weather.

As with most ancient locations, the exact purpose and use of Q'Enko is mostly a matter of guesswork and supposition on the part of the historians who research it. The construction, carvings, and chambers included in the structures seem to indicate that the location once contained a canal system. Also, a central chamber with altars and tables, which are assumed to be religious or funerary locations, shows considerable vitrification.

ALTHOUGH INTERESTING from a historical standpoint, the nearby Temple of the Monkeys and Temple of the Moon are often overlooked because the other sites are larger and